Almost every over-the-ear headphone I’ve ever reviewed has been primarily designed for music or video games but if needed could also be used to take calls. This time, we spin things around looking at the new Jabra Evolve 75 wireless Bluetooth stereo headphones optimized to suit the noisy call centre or with the open office in mind .

The Evolve 75 is lightweight and designed to be worn all day. With its spring-loaded extension headband and padded faux-leather ear cups, it fits comfortably over your ears without completely covering them. They also pivot on an angle allowing them to flatten for storage. Read more…at Canoe Tech Blog.

Have you ever had an opportunity to do a pitch or presentation at a business but it took longer to get all set up than to do the presentation? Maybe it was the wrong cable, the Wi-Fi too slow or locked down or your laptop wouldn’t boot up and oh well, so much for first impressions. Enter WeKast, a pocket-sized plug and “cast” solution. It’s designed to eliminate all the fuss and complexities and help you get to what you need to do – make that presentation. You don’t even need a computer; you can present wirelessly, right from your smartphone or tablet.

Plug and Cast

How WeKast works is really slick. It has a female VGA connector on one end and a female HDMI connector on the other. (HDMI M/M extender included in case you need it). You simply plug one end into your projector or TV and WeKast then acts a mini Wi-Fi router that wirelessly connects to a compatible iOS or Android. Using the WeKast companion, grab a presentation that you can easily pull from your DropBox or Google Drive and it’s quickly pre-loaded onto the WeKast device. The app then allows you to run your slides automatically or manually control with a swipe. There’s even a place to tap to see your slide notes. Read full Post at Canoe Tech Blog.

Protecting your data from prying eyes is more important than ever before. Still, we often forget to lock our computers when we walk away or purposely don’t bother because it’s too much of a pain to retype in a password every time you move to and fro. For this, Untethered Labs created Gatekeeper, a key fob sized wireless “lock and key” for your computer that automatically locks your computer when you walk away from it and unlocks it when you return.

It’s a pocket Bluetooth 4.0 enabled system that consists of a small rectangular coin-cell battery-operated key fob, a USB dongle and a companion app. The company’s latest model, Gatekeeper 2.0, which we’re reviewing here today, is updated and redesigned; At 45 mm x 25 mm x 6 mm and weighing 10 grams, it’s lighter and 20% thinner and with better range detection. The new sleeker fob has a rubberized matte finish, so it won’t slip from your hands with a built-in loop to secure it on a safety keychain attachment or lanyard – both included. The USB lock or dongle is half the size and now has a metal shield. The Android and iOS apps have been updated as well as the software for Windows and Mac although the Mac version is still in beta. Read Full Review at G4TV Canada.

There are lots of portable Bluetooth speakers on the market but I can’t say I’ve seen that many, particularly those offered in the consumer channel, specifically targeted or designed for the conference call market. But such is the case with the new Braven Bridge.

It’s being marketed as an “Executive Conference Call Speaker,” which I suspect is due to the fact that it offers both a luxurious design and built-in high definition microphones geared for use in a conference call environment. It’s an interesting differentiation as most other Bluetooth speaker offerings focus on the speaker with the microphone being a little extra, whereas for Braven, the mic is one of its primary features. Read full post at Canoe Tech Blog.

The other day I received an “Important Security Notice” by email from Patreon (above) telling me in so many words that basically, they’ve been hacked. Then, they go on to reassure us that everything is really okay but it might be a good idea as a precaution to update my passwords. And while I appreciate the alert and understand the calmness of the tone of the email as to not alarm us, it’s that what really scared me.

Apple blasted through a new sales record, pumping out over 13 million iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus units in its first three days since last Fridays launch. This betters the over 10 million units sold for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models for the same period around this time last year. Read more…at Canoe Tech Blog

For the average consumer the headline may sound a wee bit strange, but for entrepreneurs, small business owners and some of us geeks, we recognize Square not as an “old-fashion” way to refer to a “conservative” person, but as one of the easiest and low-cost ways to accept credit card as payment for goods and services. And now, Canadian Country Music sensation Paul Brandt has jumped on that bandwagon and is partnering with Square once again for his upcoming Road Trip Tour he’s co-headlining with Dean Brody.

The Square system consists of a small square reader, a dongle that plugs into the headphone jack of your smartphone or tablet that when used with the Square Register app will allow almost anyone to accept payment by Visa, MasterCard, American Express or the Discover Card. It’s also available as Square Stand that allows you to incorporate your iPad and features an integrated reader and additional features and point-of-sale functionality. Read Full Post with a little surprise at Canoe Tech Blog.

Back in May, we reported here at CanoeTech Blog, the end was nigh for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 support and shared what action you might considering taking to minimize the pain of migration to a new successor. It’s amazing how time flies, because folks, that day is today. Starting tomorrow, anyone still running Windows Server 2003 will no longer have the pleasure of getting any further updates, security patches or technical support from Microsoft leaving them vulnerable to possible breaches and future compatibility issues. Read full post at CanoeTech Blog.

If you own Beats Pill XL headphones, it may be possible the battery might overheat and catch on fire. To that end, Apple announced today that they are voluntary recalling these speakers and will issue a full refund for customers.

While Apple says the occurrence is rare, they may still pose a fire risk. So not to take any chances Apple has requested that anyone who is currently using these speakers to stop using them immediately.

Apple says the Beats Pill XL can be identified by the Beats “b” logo on the speaker grille and the words “beats pill XL” on the handle and could come in any of the five colours: black, metallic sky, pink, titanium and white. Get full story at: Canoe Tech Blog.

In the finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation the omnipotent character ”Q” says to Captain Jean-Luc Picard, “All good things must come to an end.” It’s true and times are different now and for those who have found solace in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 over the last 13 years, including the 40% of those Microsoft servers in Canada still running it, support for those using this platform will end on July 14, 2015.

With no further support, it seems that resistance will be futile, so the folks at Microsoft have created an infographic to enlighten those who may have questions and show the importance of migrating to a cloud-based server. See infographic andread more…at Canoe Tech Blog.